Settled?..... getting there.

It has been 6 weeks since I arrived in Seoul which seems like an unbelievable long time considering it feels like I've only just got here. I also feel as though I am finally just beginning to really find my feet and be able to enjoy my time here. A combination of sleep, a relatively low stress job and lots of Kimchi seems to be doing me some good. I feel more relaxed right now than I have in over 2 years. That's a fact and I'm glad to say it. I feel as though I would have been soon sprouting grey hairs with all of the stress in my life. And frey hair at 25 is not particularly desirable. But my plan for revesring the signs of aging is to get happy and healthy and keep eating a lot of rice and sea-weed.

This past weekend was a right 'ol adventure once again. Last week I finally joined a gym. It rather old school and is TINY in comparison with the Downtown YMCA in Montreal, but the convenience factor of having it exactly 263 steps away from my house seems to outweigh say the fact that the eliptical trainer looks like it's from 1998. Friday night I went out afterr work with a bunch of SMOE teachers to hear some other teachers play a live set at "The Abby Road Pub". A tribute to a Brittish style pub (and the Beatles of course.) The set was good and the company was great! I realised that I hadn't seen a lot of these people since orientation and to be honest it made me a bit upset that I wasn't in a better state to go out and make more friends when I got here. I mean I can go around and be social with pretty much every new person i meet, but it seems like many "groups" for I don't know what else to call them have formed over the last weeks, and I suppose it will be more work to et into them at this point. Still I can try! I talked to a coupple people that I had thought were pretty cool at orientation but hadn't gotten their contact info. There was also the most adorable golden retreaver there to entertain us when the music was done. I ended up staying out too late and missed the last subway (bad). Thankfully I was able to crash at my friend Graces' appartment not too far away from the pub! Grace is another kick ass Canadian girl. She actually knows Paqtrick Jang from University, so we were sort of friends by connection right away as soon as we figured that one out. She mercifully had the largest bed that I've seen since I got here. Made my kids bed feel like a real joke. YAY for sleep! Not too hung over the next day, I headed to my favorite part of town "Insa-dong" to meet one of my favorite friends in Seoul, Andrew for a day of leisure. We met around noon and began our day by finding the most amazing many storied restaurant with an interior terrace. Table for two please! We shared a yummy beef bbq and then relaxed in the sun digesting our food and enjoying the warm day. Then we began out exploration of the many shops and art galleries in ernest. I found another amazingly cute pair of handcrafted earings ar Samzie Market and Andrew felt compelled to buy himself a pair of 13000 Won boxers and a nice traditional Korean tea cup (very pretty). OK! We also went to a coupple good shows at the Insa Art Center as well as a coupple other spots. Most of the art was ok, some of it was good a lot of it was not so good. But still worth while. Then we had a delicious coffee on a roof top patio and soaked up more afternoon sun. MMMMMMMMMMMM....... On our way back down the street, we came to a free family oriented open air concert which randomly featured a cast of opera singers! Deliciously random and awsome! Then Andrew had to go and meet some other friends for a houswarming party and I headed home to rest. I was at my transfer at Suseo, when I came accross this really cool littel clothing store which when I looked closer had all these american and european designers stuch between some truely hideous polyester clothing. I managed to snag myself 3 new work dresses, 1 sweater, 1 shirt, and 2 new coats for 45,000! AwSoMe!!!! I maintain my status as the ultimate bargain shopper! I also picked up a 4,000W coppy of "Casablanca". Classic! It was even better than I remembered. "Here's lookin' at you kid!"